Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 17

Paulo ante dicebam igniculum nihil conferre lumini solis. Claritate enim eius quicquid sine illo luceret absconditur. Sed quaedam, inquit, soli quoque opstant. At sol integer est etiam inter opposita, et quamvis aliquid interiacet, quod nos prohibeat eius aspectu, in opere est, cursu suo fertur. Quotiens inter nubila eluxit, non est sereno minor, ne tardior quidem, quoniam multum interest, utrum aliquid obstet tantum, an inpediat.

Je disais tout à l’heure que la lueur d’une bougie n’ajoute
rien aux clartés du soleil dont la splendeur efface tout ce qui sans lui aurait de l’éclat. « Mais il est des choses qui s’interposent entre le soleil et nous. » Oui, et la force de ses rayons demeure entière, au milieu de ces obstacles mêmes ; et malgré l’intermédiaire qui nous en dérobe l’aspect, il est à son œuvre et poursuit sa course. Lorsqu’il luit au sein des nuages, il n’est pas moindre que par un beau ciel, ni plus lent dans sa marche ; car il y a grande différence entre un obstacle et l’empêchement absolu.

A short space above, I remarked that a tiny fire does not add to the sun’s light. For by reason of the sun’s brightness any light that shines apart from the sunlight is blotted out. “But,” one may say, “there are certain objects that stand in the way even of the sunlight.” The sun, however, is unimpaired even in the midst of obstacles, and, though an object may intervene and cut off our view thereof, the sun sticks to his work and goes on his course. Whenever he shines forth from amid the clouds, he is no smaller, nor less punctual either, than when he is free from clouds; since it makes a great deal of difference whether there is merely something in the way of his light or something which interferes with his shining.